My First Race After Cancer

Last week Carrie at Family, Fitness, and Food wrote about her very first race. She then asked others to share their first race stories. My first 5K wasn’t a big deal, and I can’t even find the pictures from it…This was back in the day before digital cameras. However, my first race back after my mastectomy was a big first in quite a few ways for me.

I found out that I had to have a mastectomy in June of 2007 at the ripe old age of 27. My first surgery (there are a total of 3 surgeries when you have a mastectomy) was scheduled for August 27th. In this first surgery, they remove your breasts and place expanders in your chest to slowly inflate your boobs for the next cosmetic surgery. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy about this, but I like to look on the bright side of things…That being that I will never have saggy boobs! I’m gonna be one “perky” grandma someday, if you catch my drift !

The tumors I had (all 31 of them) were caused by hormone problems. Any abnormal changes to my hormones (which can be caused by the unnatural ingredients in our food) will cause my body to react in this tumor forming way. All my doctors sat down with me and explained what I would need to do for the rest of my life, which is mainly staying away from bad ingredients in food and anything else that will change my body’s normal hormone levels.

Therefore, it was time for a massive change in our home. No more food with crap in it! I also wanted to set a recovery goal for myself after my second cosmetic surgery, so I signed up for the Minnie Marathon Weekend 5K at Epcot on May 3rd. This was the last year for the Minnie Marathon Weekend, and the Princess Half Marathon Weekend would take it’s place the next year. I hadn’t set a goal for myself in anyway for quite a few years, and it felt so good to make this 5K my recovery goal.

After my recovery from my second surgery, February 18, 2008, I got out there and started running again in preparation for my 5K in May. It felt so good to be on the road to recovery and healthy again!

On May 8th I headed over to Epcot for my first race post mastectomy. It was a perfect cool May morning, and everyone was in such a happy mood. Once the race began my mind started to wander…like it always does. I started thinking about how after this race everything was going to be different. It made me feel like I was starting over again and making an amazing start to another chapter in my life. No more chemicals in our foods, becoming more aware of my health and my family’s health, educating others on the causes of breast cancer, making goals for myself, and making sure I stay active with my son for the rest of my life. I finished that race with a smile on my face, and a new and better outlook on my life.

Wow! I learned something new today. I had no clue that food could do that! I think my most memorable race so far is the first race that I did with both my sister and my mother! It is memorable because I have inspired them try to get healthy and in shape.

Yay for running again! That’s motivating story. I found your blog through the 13in2013 community. I really want to do the princess half, but will ahve to wait until 2014. So far, my most memorable race is probably the Horsetooth Half. It was my first half marathon, and trained during my last semester of college. I felt so accomplished, the most I had ran before was a 5K. I’m pretty sure I cried when I crossed the finished line. No one was training with me; i didn’t have any big runner friends and researched everything on my own. That’s my most memorable race.

WOW i definitely did not know your whole story, thank you so much for sharing it!! I have to admit when I started find out about my hormone issues this has been a fear of mine, but so far nothing to indicate an issue.

Welcome!

My name is Andrea and I am a mom, fitness instructor, breast cancer survivor, and former English teacher. I moved from the sunshine state (Florida) to North Dakota (Santa’s front yard). Welcome to my blog! From FL to ND follows my adjustment to living in a freezing climate along with my interests in fitness, food, books, family, and (mostly) healthy living.

Disclaimer

I am not a licensed medical professional. All views expressed on this website are based on my own personal research and experiences. Please consult your doctor with any medical issues, or before beginning a training program.